The Healing Effects of Reiki
Usui Reiki is an ancient hands-on-healing system that was rediscovered by Dr Mikao Usui in Japan in the 1920s. Reiki is a Japanese word, Rei means life-force, and Ki means energy. Usui Reiki has its origins in Buddhism, however, it is not a religion or based on any specific doctrine.
It is a technique which involves channeling universal life-force energy through the hands of the practitioner onto a client, enabling a connection and resonance with this energy for both practitioner and client. It is a treatment that works holistically on the mind, body and spirit. It is now being used in hundreds of hospitals around the world as a complementary method to accelerate mental, emotional and physical health.
The Effects of a Reiki Treatment
As a result of connecting and being in resonance with this universal life-force energy, an individual may be more able to release ego-based beliefs which are often the cause of mental, emotional and physical difficulties. Reiki can be understood as a type of Spiritual Therapy, which fosters a transpersonal sense of identity by removing a feeling of disconnect from the universe and creating a greater sense of alignment with the sacred. In letting go of our false sense of separation, there is an ability to move towards greater wholeness and harmony with ourselves, others and the environment.
Many studies have investigated the healing effects of Reiki and have reported lower levels of stress, a reduction of pain, improved quality of sleep, clearing of negative emotional patterns and blocks.
Reiki Treatments encourage both the client and practitioner to:
Develop a greater awareness of the holistic self and the connection between the mind, body and spirit.
Facilitate an ability to rest mindfully with physical and emotional discomfort.
Enable an individual to access inner resources, and their intuition or “higher self” to facilitate other therapeutic processes on a deeper level.
Experience relaxation and a reduction in stress or anxiety which can be embodied and integrated into one’s daily life
Develop an awareness of one’s individual’s self-healing capabilities.
The Treatment
A Reiki treatment usually takes between 60-90 minutes. During the treatment, you will be asked to lay down or sit in a chair depending what is more comfortable for you. The Reiki practitioner will lay their hands either very gently on, or a few inches above the area of the body that is being treated.
What is “Healing?”
The concept of “healing” within complementary therapies can often be misinterpreted to mean “cure”. Reiki is not a cure for severe mental or physical illnesses or pain, but it is a powerful complementary tool which can be used in addition to other forms of therapy and interventions. Healing is synonymous with wholeness and enables a greater connection to our inner resources and with our higher Self. Reiki assists us in finding a sense of wholeness, connection and greater awareness.
Healing in the context of a Reiki session can be understood as facilitating a transformative journey towards wholeness in which there is a transcendence of suffering and new meaning is found. It is a holistic process that encompasses the physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual components of ones being.
Science & Reiki
The concept of universal life-force energy and the ability to work with this energy has often been ignored by the paradigm of mainstream science. This mainstream paradigm is primarily based on the Newtonian world view in which the world is viewed as a machine to be understood by studying its separate parts. This has led to Reiki being dismissed as a pseudo-science, or not a credible practice. However, the Usui system of natural healing is based on the ontological assumption that there is a life-force energy that permeates all living things.
Life-Force Energy
The idea of a universal life-force energy has been understood and talked about for centuries within various traditions around the world - it is called Chi in Chinese Medicine, Prana in the Yogic Traditions, and Ki in Japan. The concept of Chi is used in many martial arts and in many medicinal practices including acupuncture. Reiki is another alternative medical practice which also relies on the concept of universal life force.
The existence of life-force energy is now being studied and supported and within the field of quantum physics. For example, the existence of a “Zero Point Energy” has been investigated and discovered by quantum physicists leading to the awareness that there is an underlying energy or consciousness which is fundamental to the material world.
Eastern paradigms consider the flow of this subtle, life-force energy to be essential for physical, spiritual and mental health. Many Eastern traditions recognise and focus on the balancing of energetic centres (chakras) within the body and it is understood that the correct functioning of these chakras enables a greater flow of universal life force energy through the body, resulting in optimal health and wholeness. Reiki healing works to balance the energy centers of the body and allowing the life force energy to flow freely. Reiki works at a profound level to promote self-healing, because the human energy field is the most fundamental aspect of our nature.
Learning to work with Life Force Energy
The First Degree Usui Reiki Training can be the start of a journey to work with universal life force energy to heal yourself and others. An ability to channel Reiki brings greater peace, balance and connection in your life as it works to heal your physical, mental-emotional and spiritual body. It enables you to connect and listen to your intuition and bring awareness to our universal connection. Contact me to find out more about learning Reiki through the traditional Usui Reiki Courses that I offer.